This project is no longer active. It has been archived.
Virginia Amphibian Monitoring Program
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American Bullfrog. Photo by Michelle Prysby.
Project Overview and Purpose
The North American Amphibian Monitoring Program (NAAMP) was a collaborative citizen science effort between the US Geological Survey (USGS) and many partners (state agencies, universities, and nonprofit organizations) for monitoring calling amphibian populations over much of the eastern and central United States. The program started in 1997 and ended in 2015, but we wanted to continue it in Virginia based on feedback from existing volunteers, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, the Virginia Herpetological Society, and the Virginia Living Museum. In 2017, we launched the Virginia Amphibian Monitoring Program, or VAMP. Our goals are:
We are using the same randomized set of routes and similar protocols originally developed by NAAMP. Our intention is to make it easy to merge the current data collected through VAMP, with the over 18 years of historical data collected from NAAMP.
The North American Amphibian Monitoring Program (NAAMP) was a collaborative citizen science effort between the US Geological Survey (USGS) and many partners (state agencies, universities, and nonprofit organizations) for monitoring calling amphibian populations over much of the eastern and central United States. The program started in 1997 and ended in 2015, but we wanted to continue it in Virginia based on feedback from existing volunteers, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, the Virginia Herpetological Society, and the Virginia Living Museum. In 2017, we launched the Virginia Amphibian Monitoring Program, or VAMP. Our goals are:
- Collect scientifically rigorous, long-term data on calling frog and toad populations in Virginia that can be used for a variety of scientific, conservation, and educational purposes.
- To engage Virginia Master Naturalists and other volunteers in a state-focused citizen science project.
We are using the same randomized set of routes and similar protocols originally developed by NAAMP. Our intention is to make it easy to merge the current data collected through VAMP, with the over 18 years of historical data collected from NAAMP.
Virginia Amphibian Monitoring Program available and unavailable randomized routes. Updated 17 May 2017.
How To Get Involved
To become involved in the Virginia Amphibian Monitoring Program (VAMP), please contact one of our Project Coordinators and let us know you are interested. Please include your full name and the city or county you're located in. For this project, volunteers must be assigned to one of our randomized routes, and we can then let you know if there is an open route near you.
Each selected volunteer will be asked to complete the project enrollment paperwork. The same volunteer must monitor the route 3-4 times per year, and we ask for a commitment of at least 3 years.
If there is no open route that you can monitor, we recommend FrogWatch as an alternate citizen science program focused on monitoring frogs based on call surveys.
VAMP Project Coordinators
This project is a collaboration between the Virginia Master Naturalist Program and the Virginia Living Museum. We are also sharing the data with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
Michelle Prysby, Virginia Master Naturalist Program Director, mprysby@vt.edu, 434-872-4571
Travis Land, Curator of Herpetology, Virginia Living Museum, travis.land@thevlm.org, 757-595-1900 ext. 234
To become involved in the Virginia Amphibian Monitoring Program (VAMP), please contact one of our Project Coordinators and let us know you are interested. Please include your full name and the city or county you're located in. For this project, volunteers must be assigned to one of our randomized routes, and we can then let you know if there is an open route near you.
Each selected volunteer will be asked to complete the project enrollment paperwork. The same volunteer must monitor the route 3-4 times per year, and we ask for a commitment of at least 3 years.
If there is no open route that you can monitor, we recommend FrogWatch as an alternate citizen science program focused on monitoring frogs based on call surveys.
VAMP Project Coordinators
This project is a collaboration between the Virginia Master Naturalist Program and the Virginia Living Museum. We are also sharing the data with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
Michelle Prysby, Virginia Master Naturalist Program Director, mprysby@vt.edu, 434-872-4571
Travis Land, Curator of Herpetology, Virginia Living Museum, travis.land@thevlm.org, 757-595-1900 ext. 234
Project Resources
Test Your Frog Call Identification Skills
This site will generate a quiz with mixed choruses of Virginia frogs. Note that it includes species from all over the state, not just specific regions.
You can also find a practice frog call quiz on the Virginia Herpetological Society website.
Project Webinar
This webinar was recorded in January 2015, before NAAMP had officially ended. The information and protocols, however, are still pertinent to VAMP, so we recommend it as a training resource.
Stream the video online.
VAMP Project on CitSci.org (data entry site)
VAMP Project Data Entry training webinar video
Test Your Frog Call Identification Skills
This site will generate a quiz with mixed choruses of Virginia frogs. Note that it includes species from all over the state, not just specific regions.
You can also find a practice frog call quiz on the Virginia Herpetological Society website.
Project Webinar
This webinar was recorded in January 2015, before NAAMP had officially ended. The information and protocols, however, are still pertinent to VAMP, so we recommend it as a training resource.
Stream the video online.
VAMP Project on CitSci.org (data entry site)
VAMP Project Data Entry training webinar video
| VAMP Project Proposal Form |
| VAMP Data Sheet |
| VAMP Volunteer Enrollment Form (for individuals who are not enrolled VMNs) |